STEAMBOAT MOUNTAIN RESEARCH NATURAL AREA Supplement No. 20-U Sarah E. Greene and Robert E. Frenkel?1 The Research Natural Area described in this Mountain Research Natural Area supplement is administered by the Forest Serv- is part of a Federal system of such tracts ice, an agency of the U.S. Department of established for research and educational pur- Agriculture. Forest Service Research Natural poses. Each Research Natural Area constitutes Areas are located within Ranger Districts, which a site where natural features are preserved for are administrative subdivisions of National scientific purposes and natural processes are Forests. Normal management and protective allowed to dominate. Their main purposes are activities are the responsibility of District to provide: Rangers and Forest Supervisors. Scientific and 1.Baseline areas against which effects of human educational uses of these areas, however, are the activities can be measured; responsibility of the research branch of the 2.Sites for study of natural processes in un- Forest Service. Scientists interested in using disturbed ecosystems; and areas in Oregon and Washington should contact 3. Gene pool preserves for all types of organisms, the Director of the Pacific Northwest Research especially rare and endangered types. Station (319 S.W. Pine Street, Portland, Oregon The Federal system is outlined in "A Directory 97204) and outline the activities planned. If ex- of the Research Natural Areas on Federal Lands tensive use of one or more Forest Service of the United States of America.."-1 Research Natural Areas is planned, a Of the 96 Federal Research Natural Areas cooperative agreement between the scientist and established in Oregon and Washington, 45 are the Forest Service may be necessary. The Forest described in "Federal Research Natural Areas Supervisor and the District Ranger administer- in Oregon and Washington: A Guidebook for ing the affected Research Natural Area will be Scientists and Educators" (see footnote 1). Sup- informed by the Research Station Director of plements to the guidebook describe Research mutually agreed on activities. When initiating Natural Areas added to the system. work, a scientist should visit the administering The guiding principle in management of Ranger Station to explain the nature, purpose, Research Natural Areas is to prevent unnatural and duration of planned studies. Permission for encroachments or activities that directly or brief visits to observe Research Natural Areas indirectly modify ecological processes. Logging can be obtained from the District Ranger. and uncontrolled grazing are not allowed, for example, nor is public use that might impair -Supplement No. 20 to "Federal Research Natural Areas scientific or educational values. Management in Oregon and Washington: A Guidebook for Scientists and practices necessary for maintenance of Educators," by Jerry F. Franklin, Frederick C. Hall, C.T. ecosystems may be allowed. Dyrness, and Chris Maser. (Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, 1972). -2/Sarah E. Greene is research forester, Forestry Sciences /Federal Committee on Ecological Reserves. A directory of Laboratory, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Corvallis, the Research Natural Areas on Federal lands of the United Oregon. Robert E. Frenkel is professor of geography, States of America. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Geography Department, Oregon State University, Corvallis. Agriculture, Forest Service; 1977. 1986 Federal Research Natural Areas provide a unique system of publicly owned and protected examples of undisturbed ecosystems where scientists can conduct research with minimal i n- terference and reasonable assurance that in- vestments in long-term studies will not be lost to logging, land development, or similar ac- tivities. In return, a scientist wishing to use a Research Natural Area is obligated to: Obtain permission from the appropriate ad- ministering agency before using the area;--1/ Abide by the administering agencys regula- tions governing use, including specific limita- tions on the type of research, sampling methods, and other procedures; and 3.Inform the administering agency on progress of the research, published results, and disposi- tion of collected materials. The purpose of these limitations is to: 1.Insure that the scientific and educational values of the tract are not impaired; Accumulate a documented body of knowledge about the tract; and Avoid conflict between studies. Research must be essentially nondestructive; destructive analysis of vegetation is generally not allowed, nor are studies requiring extensive modification of the forest floor or extensive ex- cavation of soil. Collection of plant and animal specimens should be restricted to the minimum necessary to provide voucher specimens and other research needs. Under no circumstances may collecting significantly reduce population levels of species. Collecting must also be carried out in accordance with applicable State and Federal agency regulations. Within these broad guidelines, appropriate uses of Research Natural Areas are determined by the administering agency. Six agencies cooperate in this program in the Pacific Northwest: U.S. Department of Agriculture—Forest Service; U.S. Department of the Interior—Bureau of Land Manage. ment, Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service; U.S.Department of Energy; and U.S. Department of Defense. 2 STEAMBOAT MOUNTAIN RESEARCH NATURAL AREA Subalpine fir and Pacific silver fir-mountain hemlock forest communities with wet meadows, a small lake, and rock outcrops and talus. The Steamboat Mountain Research Natural Steamboat Mountain RNA is in the Mount Area (RNA) was established in August 1973 as Adams Ranger District, Gifford Pinchot an example of subalpine forest communities in National Forest, in Skamania County, the Cascade Range of southern Washington. The Washington, 29 km northwest of Trout Lake 551-ha RNA also includes three major wet (fig. 1). It is located primarily in sections 30 and meadows or montane mires, a small lake, and 31, T. 8 N., R. 9 E., and sections 35 and 36, T. areas of rock outcrops and talus. Steamboat 8 N., R. 8 E.; small portions are in section 25, Mountain RNA includes excellent examples of T. 8 N., R. 8 E., section 1, T. 7 N., R. 8 E., and Abies lasiocarpa forests of the Cascade Range, section 6, T. 7 N., R. 9 E., Willamette Meridian including pure stands on midslopes and upper (lat. 46°8 N.; long. 121°44 W.). It is bounded slopes of southern and western exposure, old- by Forest Service roads except along the north growth Abies amabilis-Tsuga mertensiana on and northeast margins. north slopes, and a mixture, particularly on lower slopes and flats.1/ Scientific and common names of plant species are listed in table 1. Gifford Pinchot • RNA Mount St. Helens ■ out C eek atio Weather To Seattle Star•n Trout Ste (") Lake Bingen olumbia 5 km Figure 1.—Location of Steamboat Mountain Research Natural Area. 3 Access and Accommodations Mountain, are believed to have been active be- tween 14,500 and 20,000 years ago, resulting in To reach the natural area from the Mount localized subglacial basalt and pillow palagonite Adams Ranger Station, Trout Lake parking lot, extrusions. Twin Buttes cinder cones, 3 km proceed left (west) on Highway 141 for 1 mile southwest of Steamboat Mountain, are thought (fig. 1). Turn right (north) on F.S. Road 88 and to be slightly younger than the Fraser glaciation continue for 13.5 miles to the junction of roads that occurred less than 12,000 years ago 88, 8851, and 8841 (known locally as the big (Schuster and others 1978). Much of the surface tire). Take road 8851 (straight ahead) and con- is mantled by aerially deposited volcanic ejecta, tinue for 4 miles to the junction of roads 8851 including the "J" tephra deposit of Mount St. and 8871. Turn right on 8871 and continue for Helens (Mullineaux and others 1975). A regional 0.25 mile to the junction of 8871 and 8871095. heat flow study documents that there is no large Turn right on the 8871095 road and continue for heat source in the vicinity of the RNA. Average 1.5 miles to the end of the road. The RNA is on heat gradients from a drill hole 2.5 km south of the right (south) side of the road. There is a sign the RNA ranged from 30.5 to 48.5 °C/km at the end of the road. The nearest commercial (Schuster and others 1978). accommodations are in Cougar or Carson, Soils are Podzols (Cryorthods), Brown Podzolics Washington; camping facilities are available at (Haplorthods), and azonal soils (Cryandepts) several campgrounds in the area. These are best developed on Pleistocene and Recent tephra located on a Gifford Pinchot National Forest deposits. Profiles are not well developed, and recreation map, available at the Mount Adams distinct A2 horizons are usually absent. Surface Ranger Station in Trout Lake or the Supervisors horizons are generally thin and of moderately Office in Vancouver, Washington. coarse to very coarse texture with 15 percent or more rock inclusions; they are rapidly drained. Subsurface horizons (B and C) are typically Environment moderately thick to very thick with a somewhat finer texture than on the surface, 25 to 55 per- The RNA includes the north, west, and south cent rocks, and very well drained. slopes of Steamboat Mountain, an elongated ridge running in a southeast-northwest direction (fig. 2). Elevation ranges from 1190 m at Tillicum Creek at the northwest corner of the RNA to 1654 m at the summit of the mountain. Slopes are steep, 30 to 60 percent, except at the north- ern, western, and southern margins of the moun- tain where gently sloping to undulating topography is common. There are cliffs and steep slopes on the north side of the summit ridge. The entire RNA is associated with volcanic rock types. Steamboat Mountain is underlain by a typical regional sequence of Tertiary (Miocene- Pliocene) extrusive and sedimentary rocks, in- cluding the Miocene Eagle Creek Formation and Yakima Basalts, the latter exposed at the sum- mit (Schuster and others 1978).